Whether you’re developing your own skin-care line, opening a yarn shop or selling delicious preserves, building a small business isn’t for the faint of heart. 

These mother-daughter teams show how passion and family can be just what you need to succeed.

The Mariner's Daughter: Lunenburg, N.S. 

Photos courtesy The Mariner's Daughter

“I’ve met a lot of knitters, crocheters and makers—most are very modest about their skills,” says Faye Wolse, co-owner of The Mariner’s Daughter in Lunenburg, N.S. As a knitter herself, Faye is equally as humble when talking about the yarn shop she shares with her mother, Hanna, in the quaint seaside town. Though the store is tiny in size—around 400 square feet—it’s certainly mighty in colour, texture and style.

“In the summer, tourists will walk into our store not knowing each other and leave as friends,” says Hanna. Part of this is simply the nature of the craft— the pair emphasize that swapping tips and stories is inherent to every yarn shop—but it’s clear that the pair’s close bond is reflected in their business.

Owning a yarn store had long been a dream of Hanna’s, who learned how to knit as a child in the Netherlands, but it wasn’t a reality until 2015. “My mom was talking about how she wanted to open up a yarn shop in Lunenberg and almost jokingly asked if I wanted to do it with her,” says Faye, “To her surprise, I said yes.” Fast-forward to the present, and the pair is celebrating their milestone 10th anniversary this June.

The brightly coloured maritime town felt like the perfect home for their business since they have a love of the sea running through their veins. The Mariner’s Daughter—aptly named for both Faye’s and Hanna’s fathers and the sea-faring focus of the town—offers yarns, knitting and crochet patterns, needles and hooks, and even sweet postcards designed by Faye’s sister, Anouk.

“We put ourselves to the test by opening the store and were able to get through it because we were together,” says Faye. “That hard work we jointly put in has only strengthened our relationship.”

Jaya's Preserves: Winnipeg, Man.

Photos courtesy Jaya's Preserves

After Jayashri Shetty immigrated to Manitoba from India in 1970, the then-19-year-old soon found herself longing for the rich flavours of her childhood. “The food in Canada was very different, so I tried to recreate the things that I missed from home,” says Jayashri. As she and her husband planted crabapple trees and lush vegetable patches at their new home, the homestyle dishes Jayashri made with their harvest made her feel connected to the life she’d left behind. Jayashri became particularly fond of pickling— something she grew up watching her mother and grandmothers do—especially what would later become her signature spicy carrot pickles. Infusing her grandmother’s long-cherished spice recipe with local Manitoba vegetables, Jayashri’s carrot pickles were a family hit for years before she considered sharing them with her wider community.

In 2017, when her daughter Sapna left her government job to spend more time at home with her family, selling Jayashri’s pickles seemed like a natural move. “The business quickly grew from word of mouth, turning into jam, jellies and, of course, more pickles,”  says Sapna. Using a mixture of homegrown produce and local veggies from the farmers they share the markets with, the duo spend their days cooking side by side in their home kitchen. “We’ve really gotten the opportunity to know each other in a way that we never would’ve otherwise,” says Sapna. “I’ve learned about what life was like in India, how they made pickles there, and so much more about my family.”

Though their family is spread all over the world, Jayashri and Sapna’s small-town business has strengthened their bond. “It’s a really collaborative family affair,” says Sapna. From Jayashri’s sisters documenting old recipes to Sapna’s children helping out at markets to cousins requesting jars of pickles when the pair visit, Jaya’s Preserves connects them all. “Now, every time we go to India, I have to show everyone how to make the pickles,” laughs Jayashri.

These days, Sapna is focused on bringing her 18-year-old daughter, who has Down’s syndrome, into the business. “This has been so easy and therapeutic for me and my mom,” says Sapna. “Now, it’s giving my daughter a safe space to start to grow, too.”

Birch Babe: Ontario

Photos courtesy Birch Babe

Debbie Alger was on a solo hiking trip from Patagonia to northern Chile when she discovered an alarming amount of waste along the way. Although she was already conscientious of what she put in her body, that trip made something click. Debbie wanted to do more to help the environment in her everyday life, so she set her mind to creating a line of sustainable skincare products made of good-for-you ingredients.

Three years, countless farmers’ markets, and two diplomas in organic skincare formulation later, Birch Babe was up and running with Debbie working as lead formulator. That’s when Debbie’s daughters, Lindsay and Kelsey, stepped in to help. “We wanted to do something nice for our mom,” says Kelsey, who, along with Lindsay, lost her job during the pandemic. “After running Birch Babe on her own for so long, there was a lot of trust that had to happen.”

The idea was to help Debbie rebrand the company—with a budget of just $500—then leave her to it. “Little did we know that the brand would organically grow from being in 30 stores to 300 stores across North America,” says Kelsey, the now-CEO of Birch Babe. From dips in sales to learning how to work together, the team attributes their ability to keep persevering to their vastly different skill sets—from management to media production to recipe formulation. Although it wasn’t something they ever dreamed of, in some ways, building a skincare brand was a natural step for a trio who have always loved creating together. “Birch Babe has become our family’s baby,” says Kelsey.

The sisters grew up in awe of their mother, who took on everything from taking a firefighting test (just to prove she could) to running a bakery-cafe in Peterborough, Ont. “I think her journey of becoming this amazing formulator started way earlier in life than we realized,” says Kelsey. Next up for Birch Babe: expanding the Ontario lab and opening the first brick-and-mortar storefront.

“Some days I wonder how we haven’t killed each other yet,” says Lindsay, Birch Babe’s COO. “But honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Recommended

Meet 3 Canadian Mother-Daughter Teams Who Built Their Dream Businesses Together

By: Sara Romano

Sometimes all you need is your mom to succeed. 

Read More

Recommended

Peloton's Chelsea Jackson Roberts & Yogi Shayla Stonechild On Finding Power & Presence In Your Life

By: Sara Romano

For centuries, yoga has been a tool used for grounding, healing, and finding inner peace.

Read More